PHOENIX (Jan. 24, 2012) – The American Academy of Neurology and the American Brain Foundation are awarding the 2013 Potamkin Prize for Research in Pick’s, Alzheimer’s and Related Diseases to Eric M. Reiman, MD, with Banner Alzheimer’s Institute.

The Potamkin Prize – considered the most prestigious award for Alzheimer’s research in the nation – honors researchers for their work in helping to advance the understanding of Pick’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders. The $100,000 prize is an internationally recognized tribute for advancing dementia research.

Reiman is being awarded for his efforts to characterize some of the earliest brain changes associated with the predisposition to Alzheimer’s disease, accelerate the evaluation of promising prevention therapies and help establish the Alzheimer’s Prevention Initiative.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to help launch a new era in Alzheimer’s prevention research and seek treatments to end this devastating disease without losing another generation,” Reiman said. “It has been a privilege to work with my research colleagues, collaborators and other outstanding individuals in the pursuit of our shared goals.”

The Alzheimer’s Prevention Initiative, or API, is an international collaborative formed by Banner Alzheimer’s Institute and several scientific and community partners to launch a new era of Alzheimer's prevention research. API will begin its first prevention trial in early-onset Alzheimer's mutation carriers this year.

Reiman is internationally recognized for his contributions to the fields of brain imaging, behavioral neurosciences and the study of Alzheimer’s before the onset of symptoms. He is the author of more than 250 research publications and serves as principal investigator for research grants from leading fundraisers such as the National Institutes of Health. He is well known for his leadership of the Arizona Alzheimer’s Consortium, the nation’s leading statewide program in Alzheimer’s disease research.

Reiman and two other distinguished brain imaging researchers will receive the award during the Academy’s 65th Annual Meeting, March 16-23, 2013, in San Diego. Also receiving the award are William J. Jagust, MD, with the University of California, Berkeley, and Michael W. Weiner, MD, with the San Francisco VA Medical Center in San Francisco. The Annual Meeting is the world’s largest gathering of neurologists with more than 10,000 attendees and more than 2,300 scientific presentations on the latest research advances in brain disease.

The Potamkin Prize is made possible by the philanthropic contributions of the Potamkin family of Colorado, Philadelphia and Miami. The goal of the prize is to help attract the best medical minds and most dedicated scientists in the world to the field of dementia research. The Potamkin family has been the Academy’s single largest individual donor since 1988, providing more than $2.5 million to fund the Potamkin Prize. Learn more about Pick’s, Alzheimer’s disease and related diseases at www.aan.com/patients.

The American Academy of Neurology, an association of more than 25,000 neurologists and neuroscience professionals, is dedicated to promoting the highest quality patient-centered neurologic care. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, migraine, multiple sclerosis, brain injury, Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy. For more information about the American Academy of Neurology, visit http://www.aan.com/.

The American Brain Foundation, the foundation of the American Academy of Neurology, supports vital research and education to discover causes, improved treatments, and cures for brain and other nervous system diseases. Learn more at www.curebraindisease.org.

About Banner Alzheimer’s InstituteThrough its research and care, Banner Alzheimer’s Institute (BAI) is dedicated to the goal of ending Alzheimer’s disease without losing another generation. It is helping to launch a new era of Alzheimer’s research—treatment and prevention at the pre-symptomatic stage—and to establish a new comprehensive model of care. Established in 2006 by Banner Health, one of the country’s largest nonprofit health care systems, BAI has a three-fold focus: to conduct revolutionary studies in the detection, treatment and prevention of Alzheimer’s; to set a national standard of patient and family care; and to forge scientific collaborations that bring together institutions and disciplines internationally.